DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group 1, claims 1-19, in the reply filed on 4/10/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-11 and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kuo (TW M460433 U). Foreign reference submitted with IDS, translation attached.
As to claim 1, Kuo discloses: A busbar bracket 1, 2 (Fig. 1-10) for a computing system 3, the busbar bracket comprising:
a bracket base 2 having a general unitary U-shape formed by two base side walls 22 and a base bottom wall 21, the unitary U-shape defining a mounting space configured to receive a busbar connector 4, the mounting space being enclosed along the two base side walls and the base bottom wall, the mounting space having an open side between free ends of the two base side walls; and
a bracket cover 1 having two cover side walls 12 slidably attached, respectively, to the free ends of the two base side walls, the bracket cover being movable between a coupled position (Fig. 1, 7, 10) and an uncoupled position (Fig. 2, 6, 9), the bracket cover enclosing the open side and preventing removal of the busbar connector in the coupled position.
As to claim 2, Kuo discloses:
wherein the bracket base further has:
a first mounting ear 221, 222 (outwardly extending cylindrical protrusion, or internally extending internally threaded ring; Fig. 1-2) extending from a first base side wall of the two base side walls; and
a second mounting ear 221, 222 (see p. 3, 5 of translation) extending from a second base side wall of the two base side walls.
As to claim 3, Kuo discloses:
wherein the first mounting ear and the second mounting ear 221, 222 are perpendicular to the two base side walls.
As to claim 4, Kuo discloses:
wherein each of the first mounting ear 222 and the second mounting ear 222 has at least one through hole 222 configured to receive a first fastener 2221.
As to claim 5, Kuo discloses:
wherein the busbar bracket is configured for attachment to a computer chassis, the first fastener 2221 passing through the at least one through hole 222 fastening the busbar bracket to the computer chassis (indirectly via bracket cover 1, see Fig. 4-10).
As to claim 2, Kuo discloses:
wherein the bracket cover further has:
a cover top wall 11 connecting the two cover side walls;
a third mounting ear 13 extending from the cover top wall; and
a fourth mounting ear 13 extending from the cover top wall.
As to claim 7, Kuo discloses:
wherein the cover top wall, having the third and fourth mounting ears, has a T-shape (see Fig. 1-2).
As to claim 8, Kuo discloses:
wherein each of the third mounting ear and the fourth mounting ear has at least one through hole 131 configured to receive a second fastener 1311.
As to claim 9, Kuo discloses:
wherein the second fasteners passing through the through holes of the third mounting ear and the fourth mounting ear are configured to fasten the busbar bracket to the computer chassis (see Fig. 3-10).
As to claim 10, Kuo discloses:
wherein each of the first fastener and the second fastener is at least partially threaded or comprises a screw (see Figures).
As to claim 11, Kuo discloses:
wherein the first and second mounting ears are perpendicular to the third and fourth mounting ears (the inwardly extending mounting ears at 222 form a ring shape wherein the diameter extends in the longitudinal dimension of the side walls 222, which is perpendicular to the plane of extension third and fourth ears 13).
As to claim 17, Kuo discloses: A computing system (Fig. 1-10), comprising:
a computer chassis 3;
a busbar bracket 1, 2; and
a busbar connector 4,
wherein the busbar bracket comprises:
a bracket base 2 configured for attachment to the computer chassis, the bracket base having a general unitary U-shape formed by two base side walls 22 and a base bottom wall 21, the unitary U-shape defining a mounting space configured to receive the busbar connector 4, the mounting space being enclosed along the two base side walls and the base bottom wall, the mounting space having an open side between free ends of the two base side walls; and
a bracket cover 1 having two cover side walls 12 slidably attached, respectively, to the free ends of the two base side walls, the bracket cover being movable between a coupled position (Fig. 1, 7, 10) and an uncoupled position (Fig. 2, 6, 9), the bracket cover enclosing the open side and preventing removal of the busbar connector in the coupled position,
wherein the bracket cover is configured to move up and down relative to the bracket base (the bracket base moves relative to the bracket cover in Fig. 5-10, so relative to the bracket base the bracket cover is configured to move), the busbar connector receivable in the busbar bracket while the bracket cover is in the uncoupled position (Fig. 1, 6, 9) and the received busbar connector being fixed in the busbar bracket by the bracket cover moved from the uncoupled position to the coupled position (Fig. 7, 10).
As to claim 18, Kuo discloses:
wherein the bracket cover is fixedly coupled to the bracket base by at least two fasteners 2221 when the bracket cover is in the coupled position.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-16 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As to claims 12-16 and 19, the allowability resides in the overall structure and functionality of the apparatus as recited in the dependent claims 12, 14, 15, and 19, including all of the limitations of their base claims and intervening claims, and at least in part, because they recite the following limitations:
12. (Original) The busbar bracket of claim 11, wherein the first and second mounting ears are fastened to a first side of the computer chassis, and the third and fourth mounting ears are fastened to a second side of the computer chassis, the first side being perpendicular to the second side.
14. (Original) The busbar bracket of claim 1, wherein:
each of the two base side walls has two through holes, each of the two through holes being configured to receive a protrusion;
each of the two cover side walls has two slots respectively corresponding to the two through holes, each of the two slots being engaged with a corresponding protrusion received in a corresponding one of the two through holes; and
the bracket cover is configured to move up and down by sliding the slots with respect to the protrusions, the bracket cover being in the coupled position when the protrusions are at upper positions of the slots, and the bracket cover being in the uncoupled position when the protrusions are at lower positions of the slots.
15. (Original) The busbar bracket of claim 1, wherein:
each of the two base side walls has a through hole configured to receive a third fastener;
each of the two cover side walls has a through hole corresponding to the through hole of a corresponding one of the two base side walls, the through holes of the two cover side walls being configured to receive the respective third fasteners received in the respective through holes of the two base side walls; and
each of the third fasteners passes through a corresponding one of the through holes of the two base side walls and a corresponding one of the through holes of the two cover side walls that are aligned when the bracket cover is in the coupled position.
19. (Original) The computing system of claim 18, wherein:
each of the two base side wall has two through holes, each of the two through holes being configured to receive a protrusion;
each of the two cover side walls has two slots respectively corresponding to the two through holes, each of the two slots being engaged with a corresponding protrusion received in a corresponding one of the two through holes; and
the bracket cover is configured to move up and down by sliding of the slots with respect to the protrusions, the bracket cover being in the coupled position when the protrusions are at upper positions of the slots, and the bracket cover being in the uncoupled position when the protrusions are at lower positions of the slots.
Kuo (US 8926358 B2), Wang (US 7637772 B2), and Smith (US 4652069 A) disclose conventional busbar mounting arrangements for computing systems.
None of the prior art, either alone or in combination, can be reasonably construed as adequately teaching the above claimed elements, in combination with the remaining claim limitations.
Further, Examiner has not identified any double patenting issues.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB R CRUM whose telephone number is (571)270-7665. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/JACOB R CRUM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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